Guys. I live in my camper van.
This year has been very challenging for most, for obvious reasons, but I consider my self lucky having been 'covid ready'.
EVERYTHING I own is within reach in this tin can on wheels so the whole isolation thing has kinda been more of the same.
I work in TV and film production and have been back at the coal face for a couple of months now. Regardless of what the media tells you about the industry scaling back - It's the same as it was - with masks and every other day testing.
I thought getting back to set (there's a lot of down time) would inspire me to get tapping again - nope.
I was parked in Leeds for 5 months in the same spot over lockdown on full furlough money. I remember thinking, 'time to write that killer screenplay...the one that I'll refer to in interviews down the line as the piece that Covid paid me to write'.
Nothing. Full block. I did however improve my guitar skills tenfold, nailing several old school Pantera numbers.
I've hardly seen my kids this year due to complicated shielding measures within the family and I'm not going to see them on Christmas Day this year as a result of my recent filming in a nasty hotspot in London and having to isolate.
That was the catalyst - two days ago I couldn't sleep and had to get up at 3am and start hammering away...at last.
I've over stocked the van with food, booze, propane and cigarettes and I'm going type the living crap out of the rest of this god awful year.
Gonna finish that pilot that I've already got to an 8th draft of in my head.
I look forward to sharing the results.
Keep on keepin' on Revvers!..
Vic x.
Good on you!
It's been hard for all of us. I live in an apartment building for people living with disabilities like me. It's government regulated. As a result, not only is the building the first to start following Covid restrictions, it's probably the safest place to be in all of Canada during this pandemic. It still hasn't been easy. As someone who's in the vulnerable category, worry about exposure to the virus has blocked my writing for most of this year. So frustrating.
But, then I finally realized, it's okay. I'm safe. I don't have Covid. I've gotten used to following restriction rules while still being able to access what I need. What do I need? I need to write. So now, after throwing out all that worry, my writing is flowing again and I'm happy.
Cheers to a new year!
I've been learning about more and more creatives who have had all the time in a world to pursue their passions but a complete lack of motivation to do so. It's a really interesting thing to think about and it really makes you appreciate why many of us who are suffering through depression or who don't see a future for ourselves struggle to produce speculative content.
Having ready so many stories about successful artists, I always see this pattern where they get onto a positive upward spiral. They get work, recognition, and reward and that motivates them further to produce great material because there's an immediate need, they know they're appreciated, and they are getting more financially stable as they do that.
What pisses me off is when someone who's had good fortune (sometimes a lifetime of it) tells people less fortunate that they simply need to push themselves harder. You hear pissy statements like how writing a page everyday means you'll have three screenplays by the end of the year. That demeans the artists and the art at the same time.
If there's one thing that 2020 has given me clarity on (pun intended) is that I'll never beat up a struggling artist who's struggling to produce art. The two go hand in hand and it's all the more reason why we have to lift each other up and celebrate even the most minor of successes.
If you are writing right now, especially on spec, that's a huge achievement.
Vic - Hope that the family sitch improves next year and good luck with your planned projects!